50 Years After The Civil Rights Act, Andrew Young Says Progress Shouldn’t Be Overlooked

Friday, the King Center in Atlanta hosted a commemoration of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act. Civil rights leader and former U.S. Ambassador Andrew Young says while there is still racism in America, a lot has changed.

“Though we feel now that we still have problems, the truth of it is if Martin Luther King had known 50 years ago that we would be where we are today, he would be very, very pleased,” said Young. “I think if I had said to him ‘I think I’m going to be the Mayor of Atlanta, and I’m going to be an Ambassador to the United Nations. And I’m going to help a Georgia Governor get to the White House’ he would say ‘Boy, you are sick!’ ”

The former mayor of Atlanta says parts of Dr. King’s dream to redeem the soul of America from the evils of racism, war, and poverty have become realities.

“Legal racism no longer exists. Now that doesn’t mean that prejudice, color prejudice, class prejudice no longer exists,” Young. “It exists in my family, in your family. We still have our individual idiosyncrasies. But legal racism just is not here anymore.”